Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

Tracy Olson , 795 Willamette Street, stated that he resided downtown. In talking about projects that were designed to bring people downtown, he wished to note that he was one of the “few people crazy enough” to live downtown. He indicated he would shop at a Whole Foods Grocery. He said in order to go grocery shopping at present he had to get in his car and drive somewhere. He averred that those who think the city has plenty of parking downtown either do not live or work downtown. He underscored that there was a need and encouraged the council to move forward with the project. Leroy Marney , 3460 Avalon Street, said he had lived in Eugene for 45 years and provided for his family by working as a laborer in the construction industry. He supported the use of a no-bid contract. He stated that all construction contracts should be awarded to the most responsible contractors providing a living wage and benefits to its workers. He related that it had been his experience that Lease Crutcher Lewis paid its construction craft workers the prevailing wage, contributed $45 an hour to the pension plan, $4.80 to the health insurance premium. He said this kept working families from seeking public assistance and becoming a burden on taxpayers. He felt that allowing this contract to go to a responsible contractor, such as Lease Crutcher Lewis, would help the local community. Jozef Siekiel-Zdzienicki , 1025 Taylor Street, wondered why an above-ground parking garage was a priority over every development project in the downtown area. He asked if this was the primary goal when building. He commented that he had yet to find a parking garage that was full. He questioned the notion of the parking structure meeting, in part, the needs of the federal courthouse, as it was not on the east side of Franklin Boulevard. He opined that the no-bid contract sounded much like the contracting of Halliburton in Iraq. th Phyllis Kesner , 650 West 12 Avenue, Apt. 203, extolled the virtues of small markets. She said she had become aware that allergists were now recommending that people not eat food from more than several hundred miles away. She liked the idea of having more green spaces in the downtown area and recalled how Central Park enhanced the livability of New York City. She opposed having a no-bid contract because she thought it “spoke badly” of the City. Artemio Paz , 86950 Cedar Flat Road, Springfield, expressed concern with the urban planning process. He thought as the City marshaled this vision of downtown design, the City would be doing the vision an th injustice by placing a parking structure at the east end of 8 Avenue as it had been designated a “Great Street.” He said if one looked at subsidies, it seemed that the City was privatizing the public realm. Keith Cooper , 28475 Spencer Creek Road, a local food producer, averred that the money for a parking garage appeared to be a subsidy and the City should not spend public funds on it. He said a council that espoused sustainability should not support a store that brought food from a great distance. He stated that the Lane County Farmers Market had existed for 30 years without any City support. Ken Silverman , 2744 Harris Street, sang a song opposing the parking garage. He likened it to “giving away our town.” He opposed “big box stores” because he did not believe they supported sustainability. Mike Bradbury , 1214 ‘Q’ Street, #5, Springfield, stated that he had worked for 16 years in construction. He said whether the City chose to build a parking structure or a bicycle lot or a high rise it should use a responsible contractor in its publicly funded projects. He averred that Lease Crutcher Lewis was a responsible contractor that paid the prevailing wage on both public and private sector projects and offered health care and full retirement plans. He believed that Gerding and Edlen used some form of a competitive evaluation process when selecting Lease Crutcher Lewis. He was certain they had evaluated the company’s past performance, ability to complete projects within the deadline and under budget, and the resources that MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 19 City Council Meeting